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County Executive Vetoes $2.5 Million in Revenues and Expenditures in Proposed Legislative 2008 Budget
Vetoes move tax levy increase up to 33 percent
by Margaret Sternberg
On October 23, 2007, the last day possible for County Executive Bob Bondi to veto any part of the 2008 Legislative Budget, Mr. Bondi handed down a series of vetoes that has resulted in the tax levy rising to almost 33 percent from the 23.34 percent it had been after the Legislature slashed expenditures and increased revenues through use of the county surplus, sales tax revenue and the contingency fund.
Among numerous vetoes, Mr. Bondi vetoed a legislative resolution eliminating $400,000 from the Highway Department, citing use of the funds for emergency repairs and preventive maintenance for all of the roads, small bridges, drains, shoulders and culverts in the County.
Also vetoed was $500,000 the legislature had slated to be taken from the contingency budget. Mr. Bondi called the proposal a "direct attack on our County workforce," noting that the Administration, "with the agreement of the Legislature" regularly appropriates an annual amount for emergency expenditures that arise over the fiscal year and that the amount has "generally" been expended every year.
A resolution taking an additional $500,000 from the County surplus was vetoed by the County Executive, who maintained the Legislature was weakening the County's financial position. Mr. Bondi also vetoed two resolutions in which the Legislature raised the estimate of revenue from the increase in the County's sales tax rate by $270,000. Mr. Bondi cited the County facing a $1.477 million sales tax shortfall through September 30, 2007 and economic reports discussing a possible economic slowdown for his veto, in the course of which he accused legislators of basing their decision to increase sales tax revenue forecasts not on economics, but politics.
However, what will probably be the most difficult of Mr. Bondi's vetoes to address was his veto of the Legislative resolution doing away with the Health Commissioner's position, which is partially reimbursed by the State and costs the County $118,000 annually. During a recent Legislative Committee meeting, more than 70 people showed up, most county employees, to plead for reinstatement of the position. The position was eliminated in a six to three vote, with the minimum number of Legislators needed voting to pass the resolution.
Also receiving vetoes were the Legislature's elimination of Mr. Bondi's $320,000 new private well water testing initiative; the Legislature's decrease of $55,000 in additional mortgage tax monies that Mr. Bondi also tried, unsuccessfully, to put through for the 2007 budget, and the elimination of a $27,589 Assistant Coordinator position in the Office for People with Disabilities.
The County Executive vetoed a Legislature-authorized sale of a County-owned house located on the County Office campus in Carmel. The sale, which was expected to bring in $250,000, was derided by Mr. Bondi as "one-shot" revenue, which he noted would leave the County with a $250,000 shortfall in 2009. Mr. Bondi also vetoed the removal by the Legislature of $275,000 in education and training for County employees and the elimination of equipment lines throughout the budget, reducing them to $0 from $195,596. Most of the equipment lines are for the Sheriff's Department, which had already cut $211,000 from their 2008 budget "based on an austerity scenario."
Finally, Mr. Bondi vetoed the Legislature's adoption of the Legislature-revised budget, writing "We stand by our budget as a whole."
Legislative Counsel Clement Van Ross opined that Mr. Bondi's veto of the adoption resolution would not stand, citing County Charter specifications that the Legislature must adopt the budget by October 15, which Van Ross said was done and made the resolution valid. The adoption of the resolution by the Legislature was an action pertaining solely to the County Legislature and therefore is unable to be vetoed by the County Executive, according to Van Ross, who also said that, even were the veto to stand, according to County law, the tentative budget with all Legislative amendments would become the final budget.
Legislator Tony Hay, a fiscal conservative who has frequently sparred with Bondi over county finances, said of the vetoes' impact, "It's a lot closer to the 40 percent the County Executive wanted, but I don't think he's going to get it. We still have a responsibility to the taxpayers based on responding to people paying the bills, the general public…the fact that the taxpayers have spoken out on what appears to be over-taxation means the Legislature has to do the responsible thing and grant the taxpayers' desire and not the County Executive's wish."
Legislator Vinny Tamagna denounced the County Executive's actions, saying "This is the most irresponsible budget in Putnam County history. Having again said what I've been saying consistently for the past four years - that we need an independent financial review and to make the County more fiscally efficient - for the county executive to allow anything back into the budget would be absolutely absurd and irresponsible."
Conversely, Legislator Sam Oliverio said he "support[s] putting back the surplus, contingency and highway funds and restoring the Health Commissioner position. Our budget, if we were to steal from surplus and contingency, as Bob Bondi has done in the past, we will be no better off in the budget year 2009. It's a false source of revenue when we rob from the piggy bank. So I'm going to uphold Bob Bondi's vetoes in those areas. We're taking from Peter to pay Paul. In the long run, that'll hurt us." Legislator Oliverio originally voted against the same four resolutions when they were passed by the Legislature.
Deputy County Executive John Tully, speaking in the absence of the County Executive due to his recent surgery, said of the vetoes and the resultant tax increase "As long as our residents tell us they want services that county government provides, we are going to fund them accordingly."
A special meeting of the Putnam County Legislature was called for Tuesday, October 30, during which most, if not all of the County Executive's vetoes were expected to be overridden.
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